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Undead Labs head Philip Holt says State of Decay still brings in “several thousand people” each day. That is Holt’s estimate from an October 6, 2026 interview—not a published count of concurrent players, daily active users, or unique accounts.
What does “several thousand a day” mean?
Holt told The Game Business, “Even today, we have several thousand people coming through the door every day.” The interview does not explain how the studio counts those arrivals or specify whether they represent new players, returning players, accounts, or sessions. It supplies no underlying dataset or independent verification.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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State of Decay 2 | $37.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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State of Decay 2 - Xbox One (Renewed) | $23.67 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
|
State of Decay- Year-One Survival Edition | $35.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
|
State of Decay 2 - Ultimate Edition - Xbox One (Renewed) | $55.70 | Buy on Amazon |
| 5 |
|
State of Decay- Year-One Survival Edition (Renewed) | $28.33 | Buy on Amazon |
So the figure is useful as Holt’s description of continuing daily interest, but it should not be read as a live-player counter. In particular, “people coming through the door every day” is not the same measure as concurrent players—the number playing at one time—or a defined daily-active-user total.
How does Game Pass fit in?
Holt credited the Game Pass audience with helping the State of Decay franchise reach 25 million players. That is a cumulative player-reach claim, not a sales figure and not a current active-player count. It cannot be directly compared with the separate estimate of several thousand daily arrivals.
#1 Best Overall
- State of Decay 2 is the ultimate open world zombie survival game Four Player Co-Op Multiplayer Establish a base, develop your characters and manage resources to survive in a post-apocalyptic world
- Xbox One X Enhanced with higher resolutions, steadier framerates and better effects
- Every decision has lasting consequences In the end, how you survive just might surprise you
- Pre-order now to get the Amazon exclusive Survivor’s Pack Includes the Zed Swatter melee weapon, an exclusive vehicle and an assortment of survival supplies and abilities - Codes will be received within 7 days of release
His account also captures the trade-off of subscription exposure: “A lot of players from Game Pass come in and they’re like ‘this isn’t for me’ and leave.” Holt described Game Pass as part of the franchise’s reach, not as proof that every person who tries the game stays.
What did Holt say about player retention?
Holt called State of Decay “a very retentive game” and recalled that roughly half of monthly active users had been in the game close to two years, while about a quarter had been playing for more than five years. He qualified the figures as a recollection—using phrases such as “something like” and “last time I looked”—rather than presenting a published retention report.
Rank #2
- State of Decay 2 is the ultimate open world zombie survival game Four Player Co-Op Multiplayer Establish a base, develop your characters and manage resources to survive in a post-apocalyptic world
- Xbox One X Enhanced with higher resolutions, steadier framerates and better effects
- Every decision has lasting consequences In the end, how you survive just might surprise you
- Pre-order now to get the Amazon exclusive Survivor’s Pack Includes the Zed Swatter melee weapon, an exclusive vehicle and an assortment of survival supplies and abilities - Codes will be received within 7 days of release
He paired that long-term retention with churn: some players try the game through Game Pass and leave, while, in his words, “of the players we capture, we capture for a long time.” The interview gives no cohort breakdown, exact churn rate, or methodology for those retention estimates.
Why State of Decay 3 matters to the story
In the same October 6 interview, Holt said State of Decay 3 was in alpha and planned to launch day one on Game Pass. He also described its four-player co-op shared world as the project’s largest investment. These were plans and development remarks at the time of the interview, not guarantees about the eventual release or service lineup.
Rank #3
- Unlocking Heroes: Lifeline Roster
- New weapons: Under-barrel attachments and Incendiary Ammo
- New Music
- Community Improvements
The interview also said Undead Labs had recently become independent after its employees bought the company following Microsoft’s search for a buyer. It reported that State of Decay 3 had a new publisher, but did not name that publisher.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the numbers establish—and what they don’t
Holt’s remarks support the conclusion that Undead Labs still saw daily arrivals and had a substantial long-term player base, while Game Pass helped expose the franchise to players who might not stay. They do not establish an audited current audience size. The interview provides no precise daily count, counting method, or independent player-count study, so the headline figure remains an attributed estimate rather than a verified public metric.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- Unlocking Heroes: Lifeline Roster
- New weapons: Under-barrel attachments and Incendiary Ammo
- New Music
- Community Improvements
Rank #4
- State of Decay 2 Ultimate Edition includes early access to the full game, a code for the original State of Decay: Year One Survival Edition on console, and a code for two add-on content packs: Independence Pack and Daybreak Pack
- Build your community and invite up to three friends to explore an open world filled with hostile zombies Four Player Co-Op Multiplayer Establish a base, develop your characters and manage resources to survive in a post-apocalyptic world
- Model Compatibility: Xbox One;Xbox One X Enhanced with higher resolutions, steadier framerates and better effects
- Pre-order now to get the Amazon exclusive Survivor’s Pack Includes the Zed Swatter melee weapon, an exclusive vehicle and an assortment of survival supplies and abilities - Codes will be received within 7 days of release
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
